The Bird and The Bee
The Bird and The Bee

The problem with folding Tropicalia into Europop is that it is apt to produce
nothing more than a lightweight soundtrack for a cocktail party. Nevertheless,
The Bird and the Bee sufficiently makes the case on its self-titled debut that
perhaps such a combination could work on a larger scale. Granted, at first
glance, this isnít immediately apparent, and the songsí infectious melodies and
chirpy, electronic beats appear almost entirely to be constructed by enveloping
the modern folk-pop of Jem within a Brazilian jazz motif. However, as tracks
like Iím a Broken Heart and La La La suggest ó the former tune
dresses sorrow in sunshine by coloring the melancholia of Pet Sounds-era
Brian Wilson with the bright, horn-splattered arrangements of Burt Bacharach,
while the latter cut embraces a perky í60s groove that immediately conjures
images of Austin Powers ó thereís more to The Bird and the Bee than initially
meets the eye.

Though the music treads lightly, riding upon the breezy currents of The Bird
and the Beeís multilayered arrangements, the lyrics penned by Inara George and
Greg Kurstin pack a punch. The coy but aggressive manner in which George sings
them only enhances their bite. "I would be so winning, so absolutely winning,"
she states before asking in a condescendingly angered tone, "Would you ever be
my...would you ever be my fucking boyfriend?"

Although George also demonstrates her vulnerability (on My Fair Lady,
for example), it is her angst and her frustration with relationships that fuels
much of The Bird and the Beeís material. She oscillates between love and hate on
Again & Again, and she relays her weariness with this repetitive pattern
on Because. Overall, the collection emits a general disdain with the way
that men and women behave, and her answer is simply to level the playing field
by standing up for herself as an individual. "Are you prepared for serenity? Are
prepared to disagree? Are you prepared...are you prepared for me?" she playfully
inquires as the hypnotic music first enhances and then seductively cushions the
menacing threat within her words, thus driving home the point that sharing equal
footing isnít nearly as perilous as it initially may seem. In fact, it can be
quite comforting. In the end, itís precisely the ingenious manner in which The
Bird and the Beeís lyrics and its arrangements intertwine to support one another
that makes its eponymous endeavor so resonant. Ĺ